First to the Finish
by ANARCHY RULES
Summary: A novelisation of the first game following the story of Commander Shepard and her struggle against the Reapers. Expect regular updates.
1. Hot Bunking

_Hello everyone. This, as you have probably guessed, is going to be another Mass Effect novelisation. The Commander Shepard for this story will be a FemShep/Soldier-class/Earthborn/Sole-Survivor. She will also have some minor biotic talent._

_I will also be writing this under the assumption that people have _not _played the games. I know that most of you have, obviously, but there will be descriptions of the various races and characters for the two of you that haven't played the games._

_Also, while it is obvious why the characters never call Shepard by his/her first name, since this is a novel; some characters (e.g. love interest, close friends, _not_ everyone) will use a first name. Since I want all of the readers of this story to have an investment in this character, I will let you, the readers, choose a name. When reviewing this chapter please nominate one of the following names:_

Alex

Alice

Alison

Arya

Catrin

Jennifer

Kendrix

Moira

Rachel

_Obviously, once decided, no new votes will be considered._

_As the story continues, there will be further opportunity for reader participation._

_I will be describing Shepard throughout the story but if you want a photo of the person I have based her on, lick on the link on my profile. BBC fans will recognise her._

_Finally, reviews are welcome and if they are plentiful, I swear to attempt a chapter every week._

_Now that that's over with, enjoy._

**~o~O~o~**

**Chapter One – Hot Bunking**

_Shit! _As Commander Shepard strode the deck of the SSV Normandy a sudden thought struck her with all of the subtlety of an adolescent's pick up line. It was the third day of the Normandy's first voyage that was to be, by all accounts, a simple shakedown mission when it occurred to her that there were too many people. She mentally backhanded herself for not realising it earlier when she was informed that she would be "hot bunking" with her sleeping pod.

To hot bunk means to share the use of a bed/pod with another member of the crew. For example; Smith would go to bed at 0100 hours. He would be then woken at 0700 hours by John. While Smith attends to his duties, John replaces him in the pod and sleeps until 1300 hours. Then the cycle continues until it gets back to Smith. Hot bunking only occurs on ships that have a large crew. Ships that have crews so large that hot bunking is required do _not_ go on simple shakedown missions.

_Seriously!_ She thought. _I'm in the N7 program, how did I miss that?_

Also, the fact that there was a Council Spectre on board should have been a dead give-away.

**~o~O~o~**

Shepard felt the deck shake slightly as the Normandy left the Mass Relay. Okay, she imagined the deck shaking. According to the "experts" there should be no physical sensation when a ship enters or clears a Mass Relay; however one in three passengers would still experience some mental impression of movement. It was just one of those things. Clearing her head of her idle thoughts, Shepard took note of the three occupants of the bridge. The first, sitting in the pilot's chair was Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau. A small, pale man who seemed to live in the bridge. Had he actually did so, it might have explained the eight week old beard that was not, strictly speaking, regulation. He also perpetually wore a navy blue cap which covered his shaggy brown head of hair. Shepard had never discovered the reason for the nickname "Joker". While the pilot had a somewhat sarcastic sense of humour, he was far too cynical to ever be considered a comedian. To his right was the co-pilot's chair in which, for some unknown reason, sat Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. Alenko was a softly spoken man of obvious Asian ancestry but his accent clearly implied a Canadian home. Shepard had worked with him and Corporal Jenkins in several combat exercises and had grown to like the quiet young man. He would always say what he thought of something but always in the same polite, controlled manner. While his weapon accuracy could use improvement, his biotic powers made up for any shortcomings in other areas. Shepard privately wished that she could display the same ability. While she did possess some minor talent, it was never going to be anything impressive. The third figure would have easily towered over the other two had they been standing due to his height of six and a half feet. Turians were typically taller than humans. While bipedal, Turians were vastly different to humans in terms of aesthetics. With dark, scaly skin, twin mandibles on the jaw and a carapace crowning the top of the head, Turians, easily resembled some of the alien invaders in the old sci-fi vids. The elaborate facial tattoos were also reminiscent of ancient human tribes. Nihlus was a perfect Turian specimen. He was also a Council Spectre and had, for some reason been assigned to the Normandy for her maiden voyage. Shepard was sure there was a reason and would be informed of it in due course, as being executive officer usually meant she was privy to all details of a mission. Normally she would patiently wait but this was different. She wanted to know now. This was mainly due to the fact that this Turian seemed to be wherever she went. If writing reports, he would sit down for hours at a time, observing her, refusing all offers of conversation. If sparring, he would observe. If walking down bloody hall, he would observe. It was driving her insane.

As she approached them, she could hear Joker verbally checking the ship's status after clearing the Relay. "Thrusters... check. Navigation... check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift... just under 1500 K."

"1500 is good," Nihlus declared. "Your captain will be pleased." He then promptly turned around left, not even acknowledging the presence of Shepard. _Following me, now avoiding me, make up your mind!_ Shepard thought wryly. As soon as the Spectre was out of earshot, Joker muttered, "I hate that guy." Alenko turned to him curiously. "Nihlus gave you a compliment. So... you hate him." Joker laughed harshly. "You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom, that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead! So that's incredible!" The irate helmsman retorted. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him aboard. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid," the Lieutenant replied smoothly, "The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on this investment."

"Yeah, that's the 'official story'" said Joker, making quotation marks with his hands, "And only an idiot would believe the official story."

"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs either," said Shepard, entering the conversation. Joker nodded animatedly, "Which means there is more going on than the Captain is letting on-"

"_Joker. Status report_," interrupted Captain Anderson's voice over the intercom.  
"Just cleared the Mass Relay, Captain," replied Joker, his former sardonic tone replaced with a professional one. "Stealth systems are engaged. Everything looks solid."

"_Good_," said Anderson. "_Find the nearest comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime._"

"Aye, aye, captain. Better brace yourself, sir," Joker warned. "I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"_He's already here,_" came the curt reply. Alenko chuckled softly. "_Tell the Commander to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing._" The captain then switched of the intercom. Joker turned to Shepard and asked, "You get that Commander?"

"Yeah, I got that," Shepard replied sarcastically, her grin taking off most of the sting, "You pissed the Captain off and now I'm going to pay for it." As she turned to leave, Joker spun around and said, "Hey, don't blame me! The captain's _always_ in a bad mood."

"Only when talking to you, Jeff," retorted Alenko. Shepard paused for a moment.

"Sorry Alenko, but I have to ask" she said, "Why are you taking shotgun?" Joker and Alenko laughed.

"Crosby slipped in the shower and broke his hand," answered Joker with more mirth than was strictly necessary.

"So I offered to step in," Alenko added.

"Alright," said Shepard, "As you were."

**~o~O~o~**

As Shepard considered the possible ramifications of Joker's blunder, she couldn't help but overhear Navigator Pressly engaging in a heated debate over the intercom. "I'm telling you, Adams! I just saw him!" Pressly exclaimed (it appeared he was talking to Engineer Adams), "He just marched by like he was on a mission."

"_He's a Spectre,_" replied the more mellow voiced engineer, "_They're always on missions._"

"And we're getting dragged right along with him." Pressly fretted.

"_Seriously, relax_," said Adams, as Shepard passed by, "_You'll get an ulcer._" Shepard liked Adams. A consummate professional. Pressly, on the other hand, was harder to like. Older, balding and set in his ways, the navigator had a temper to match a Krogan. Not that he would have liked the comparison, bearing a strong anti-alien prejudice.

As Shepard continued to move towards the comm room, she heard a familiar voice. "I grew up on Eden Prime, Doc," Corporal Richard L. Jenkins said earnestly, "It's not the kind of place Spectres visit. There's something Nihlus isn't telling us about this mission."

"That's crazy," Dr. Chakwas replied half irritated/half amused, "The captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre." The pair were standing outside the comm station, unintentionally blocking the Commander's way.

"Not his choice, Doc. Spectres don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want. Kill anyone who gets in their way." The young man tried to deepen his voice dramatically and failed miserably. Everybody liked Jenkins. While he was by no means the brightest bulb out there, he was an extremely friendly young man who positively gushed with enthusiasm and dreams of grandeur.

"You watch too many spy vids Corporal," Shepard said grinning. Jenkins, noticing her presence, turned to her and asked, "What do you think, Commander? We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action."

"I sincerely hope you're kidding, Corporal," Dr. Chakwas scolded. "Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary." Chakwas was, without a doubt in Shepard's opinion, the scariest women in all of creation. She seemed to view every battlefield injury as a personal insult and had been known to reduce trained soldiers to weeping school children over some minor plasma burns. She was also a _very_ good doctor. Shepard decided to head off the young man before he did something "heroic" on the battlefield and got everyone killed. "You need to calm down, Corporal," she said firmly, "A good soldier stays cool, even under fire."

"Sorry Commander," replied the Corporal, "But this waiting's killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board!" His youthful eyes widened. Shepard decided that now would be a good time to change the topic to one less likely to get her killed in the future. "You're from Eden Prime, aren't you, Jenkins?" She asked, "What's it like?"

"It's very peaceful, Commander," he answered, "Gorgeous, too. They've been very careful with development, so you don't have any city noise or pollution. A little too calm and quiet for me, though. That's why I joined the Alliance. Even paradise gets boring after a while."

"So is there _any_ reason a prototype military vessel and a Spectre would go there?" she asked curiously.

"Not really sure, Commander," Jenkins confessed. "Eden Prime's one of our most stable colonies. Good place to take the Normandy on a shakedown run, I guess. No real danger there." To Shepard's alarm, he, once again, grew more excited. "But there's got to be something else going on!" he exclaimed, "We've got a Spectre on board! That's why I'm so wound up. I can't wait for the real mission to start!"

"Just treat this like any other assignment and you'll do fine," she said quickly.  
"Easy for you to say, Commander," Jenkins said enviously, "You proved yourself on Akuze. Everyone knows what you can do." Chakwas noticed a slight twitch in the Commander's face. Jenkins, of course, failed to notice it.

"I try not to think about Akuze," Shepard said softly. Shaking her head slightly, she then said, "You're young, Corporal. You have a long career ahead of you. Don't do something to mess this up." To her relief, Jenkins nodded. "Don't worry ma'am. I'm not going to screw this up."

_I hope so kid,_ she added silently as she left and entered the comm room.

**~o~O~o~**

The first thing the Commander noticed when she entered the room was that the Captain was nowhere to be seen. Instead stood the Spectre Nihlus. He then turned to face her and quietly said, "Ah, Shepard. I'm glad you're here. I was hoping for a chance to talk."

**~o~O~o~**

_Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to review and remember to vote._


	2. Fatal Point

_The polls are still open for Shepard's name._

_I also hope you enjoy the new front cover._

**Chapter Two – Fatal Point**

"I had hoped that you would get here first," said the Turian Spectre in a polite tone of voice.

"Where is the Captain?" the Commander asked instantly, on edge due to the unexpected turn of events.

"Relax," Nihlus replied smoothly, "He's on his way." Either he couldn't discern human facial expression enough to notice the look of suspicion directed at him or he simply didn't care. Given that he was an elite special operations agent; it was probably the latter. "I'm curious about this world we're approaching," he continued, "Eden Prime. I hear it's quite beautiful."

"I've never been," Shepard replied curtly.

"But you've heard of it," said Nihlus, "It's become somewhat of a symbol for your people hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies on the on the other side of the galaxy but defend them as well. But how safe is it really?"

"Is that a _threat_ Spectre?" demanded Shepard.

"You're people are still newcomers Shepard," Nihlus responded patronisingly, "The galaxy can be a dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?" The sound of the comm room's door prevented Shepard angrily responding.

"I think it's time we told the Commander what's really going on," said Anderson, entering the dimly lit room. Nihlus nodded and said, "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."

_So Joker was right,_ thought Shepard, _I'm never going to hear the end of that._

"I thought there was something you weren't telling us," responded Shepard, successfully keeping any irritation she may have felt out of her voice. Anderson continued to speak.

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime," he said, "That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."

_I suppose that makes sense._

"There must have been a reason that you didn't tell me this Sir," she said.

"Sorry kiddo," he apologised, "This is straight from the top; strictly need to know."

She nodded for the Captain to continue.

"A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation." The captain paused momentarily. "It was Prothean."

**~o~O~o~**

_Alliance Codex – Primary Entry: The Protheans_

_Fifty thousand years ago, the Protheans were the only spacefaring species in the galaxy. They vanished in a swift "galactic extinction". Only the legacy of their empire remains. They are believed to have built the mass relays and the Citadel, which have allowed numerous species to explore and expand throughout the galaxy._

_Prothean ruins are found on worlds across the galaxy. While surprisingly intact for their age, functioning examples of Prothean paleo-technology are rare. Time and generations of looters have picked their dead cities and derelict stations clean._

_Some believe the Protheans meddled in the evolution of younger races. The hanar homeworld of Kahje, for example, shows clear evidence of Prothean occupation. The presence of a former Prothean observation post on Mars has caused a rebirth of "interventionary evolutionists" among humans. These individuals believe the god-myths of ancient civilizations are misremembered encounters with aliens._

**~o~O~o~**

Despite her best efforts, Shepard could prevent her eyebrows moving north. Even a soldier like Jenkins would be able to understand the significance of such a discovery.

_At least it explains why Nihlus is here._

"Prothean?" she asked, "An actual working Prothean artefact?"

"The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years," he said, nodding. "But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander," Nihlus interjected, "This discovery could affect every species in Council space."

Shepard ignored the subtle insinuation that the Alliance would keep it for themselves.

"Are we expecting any trouble?" she asked.

"I always expect trouble," said Nihlus. Normally, a line like that would make someone appear arrogant or smug. For Nihlus it did neither of those things Shepard knew that he meant what he said.

"The beacon, however," he continued, "is not the only reason I'm here."

Confused, Shepard turned to Anderson. "What's going on sir?" she asked.

"Nihlus wants to see you in action," he answered, "He's here to evaluate you."

_Ok-ay, very confused. Where is this going?_

"I guess that explains why I keep bumping into him every time I turn around," she said finally.

Anderson, noticing her confused expression, decided to take pity on her. "The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time," he began, "Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council."

_Okay, nothing new yet._

"The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority," he continued, "If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

_Alright, I suppose that makes sen- _What_ was that?_

Nihlus took over. "You survived the Thresher Maws on Akuze. Of the fifty stationed there, only you survived. You showed not only skill and courage, but an incredible will to survive."

_Courage? I was scared shitless._

"That is why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres," he finished.

"_You_ put my name forward," she asked, realising something, "Why would a Turian want a human in the Spectres?"

"Not all humans resent humanity," he said, ""Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy... and to the Spectres. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job."

A non-human hating Turian. Shepard took the next second to mentally berate herself for her quick judgment of the Spectre.

"I assume this is good for the Alliance," she said, after several seconds of consideration.

"Earth needs this, Shepard," Anderson urged, "We're counting on you."

"However, I will still need to see your skills for myself," said Nihlus, "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You'll be in charge of the ground team," Anderson said, bringing matters back to the mission at hand. "Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"What do we know about this beacon?" Shepard asked, "Is it anything like the data cache we discovered on Mars?"

"We don't know," Anderson admitted. "It could be. It could be something much more, though. What if it's a weapons archive? We can't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"Like raiders or Batarians?" she asked.

"Exactly," Anderson said, "The Attican Traverse isn't the most stable sector of Citadel space. The raiders and criminals in the region might figure a Prothean beacon is worth the risk of attacking an Alliance ship. Plus, Eden Prime is right on the border of the Terminus Systems."

"But The Attican Traverse is under Citadel protection," said Shepard, "If the Terminus Systems attack, it's an act of war."

Nihlus looked embarrassed.

"_Technically_ yes," he said evasively, "But some of the species in the Terminus might be willing to go to war over this."

_And, also, the Council doesn't want to have to declare war over some humans_, Shepard silently added.

Suddenly, Joker's voice could be heard over the intercom.

"_Captain!_" he yelled, "_We have a problem!_"

"What's wrong Joker?" Anderson asked.

"_Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this,_" came the response.

The three turned to the viewing screen.

It presented a recording from the helmet of an Alliance marine. Shepard could barely discern what was happening; all she could see was rapid camera movement and static. Intense gunfire could be heard. The image cleared momentarily and a female soldier in white body armour ordered the soldier/camera to get down, further emphasising her command by pushing him to the ground.

More static.

They then saw a squad of marines firing their assault rifles on full automatic at some foe off-screen.

More static.

While there was no visual, some audio could still be salvaged.

"_We are under attack… – taking heavy casualties. I repe– heavy casualties. We need..." _His words were drowned out as something exploded nearby._ "-evac! They came out of nowhere. We need–_"

Whatever he needed, they would never find out, as his final words were cut off buy more battle sounds. This time he did not continue.

The picture came back, but the quality was worse than ever. For some reason, all of the soldiers were no longer firing. They were all looking up. The camera rose towards the direction of what they were looking at. Shepard had a brief vision of something large piercing the clouds accompanied by what appeared to be purple lightning …and the video cut out completely.

Static.

"_Everything cuts out after that,_" Joker reported, "_No comm traffic at all. Nothing._"

Without hesitation, Anderson said, "Reverse and hold at 38.5."

Joker complied and the video briefly reversed and froze. What they saw appeared to be a ship. The word "appeared" is used here because it is common knowledge that nothing _that_ size could ever have a hope of leaving a planet's surface. The ship's – thing's – whatever's shape reminded Shepard of a large hand. Surrounded by all that purple energy, it made her imagine that some kind of vengeful, deranged god had raised his hand against the planet to smite it.

Nihlus' mandibles twitched slightly. Likely the Turian equivalent for a raised eyebrow. He opened his mouth but said nothing.

_So he can be unnerved._

Anderson blinked twice.

"Status report," he barked.

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain," replied Joker without his usual levity, "No other Alliance ships in the area."

"Take us in, Joker," Captain Anderson commanded, "Fast and quiet." He looked to Nihlus. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Nihlus appeared to have recovered from his momentary loss for words. "A small strike team could move quickly, without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon."

Anderson nodded, "Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold."

To Shepard's surprise, the Spectre followed Anderson's order without any hesitation. Shepard supposed that Nihlus was smart enough to know that this was no time to split hairs on who should be giving the orders.

Anderson then turned to her.

"Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander," he said, "You're going in."

**~o~O~o~**

The Normandy descended upon the planet's surface. The ship was completely undetected due the stealth systems being fully engaged. However, had anyone been close enough for a visual scan they would have seen it disappear against the planet's size. Had they waited for two minutes, up there in the black void of space, they would have then seen the ship emerge from the planet, returning to space.

However, nobody saw it.

Had anyone seen though, they might have asked themselves; '_Why did they go to the surface if they were only going to return after a minute or two?'_

**~o~O~o~**

Eden Prime's surface was remarkably similar to that of Earth.

Tall trees with green leaves, rolling hills, random rocks and a field of crops stretched out over the horizon.

_Jenkins was right,_ though Shepard. _Eden Prime truly is beautiful._

Or at least it _would_ have been had it not been for the smoky ruins, burning crops and the smell of devastation fouling the air.

Understandably, Jenkins was not happy. This was his home.

"Oh my _God!_" he moaned, "What happened here?"

Shepard was going to say something when her comm chirped.

"This place got hit hard, Commander," Nihlus reported, "_Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up._"

Nihlus had set out before the trio to scout the area. He would periodically supply information regarding the layout of the land.

Keeping to Anderson's order of radio silence, Shepard did not respond.

As they moved towards the dig site, they waded through a marsh and encountered these strange… _things_.

To Shepard they resembled floating brains.

_Great, as if this mission wasn't creepy enough. What's next? Zombies?_

"What the hell are those?" Alenko exclaimed.

"Don't worry," said Jenkins, "They're gas bags. Totally harmless."

Jenkins seemed to have recovered from his shock. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Shepard turned to him.

"You gonna be okay Corporal?" she asked the greenhorn.

"Yes ma'am," he replied, "This is my home and of course I want to save it. But you're my commanding officer and I will follow and commands you give."

Under her helmet, Shepard smiled.

"Alright then," she said, "Take point."

As Jenkins advanced Shepard saw three robotic flying drones skim over the hill they were climbing and before she could shout a warning to Jenkins they opened fire.

Alenko and Shepard both managed to find cover behind some rocks and return fire.

Jenkins wasn't so lucky.

The first shot burned out his shields, the second shot, tore through his armour and the third shot turned his insides into a gory show of exploding blood and organs.

He fell to wet ground, making a splash in the dirty water of the marsh.

Shepard, using an assault rifle aimed towards the furthest drone, taking advantage of her weapon's range. Alenko, however, raised his arm towards the two nearest drones and jerked it back. A blue biotic field surrounded the pair and swiftly dragged them to the ground, causing them to explode on impact.

Satisfied that all immediate threats had been neutralised, the pair rushed over to their fallen comrade. Alenko knelt down next to him tore of Jenkins' helmet. The corporal was clearly trying to speak but no words came out, only blood. His whole body convulsed.

Shepard gave a soft sigh under her helmet. They had medi-gel but she knew that all the medi-gel in creation could save the soldier. She knelt beside Alenko and removed her helmet. She took the dying man's hand in her own.

"Don't talk," she said softly, "Save your strength."

Inside she raged at the useless platitude. What was he supposed to save his strength for? However, she did not let this show on her face. She was a commander and she had a duty to her man.

"It's going to be okay," she said.

All too quickly, the trembling stopped and Jenkins died.

_And now I lose another one._

**~o~O~o~**

_Giant worms burst forth from the ground, all around them, screeching into the night. Shepard was pushed out of the way of a glob of acid by Toombs. She saw one of the worms tear Chase apart with its fearsome jaws and he exploded in a shower of blood. The ground continued to shake. She fell to her knees, unable to keep hold of her gun, unable to do _anything_ but cover her ears and worm her way into the rocky crevice. She could hear gunfire before but now she heard none. All she could hear was the screaming._

**~o~O~o~**

Alenko closed the dead man's eyes.

"Ripped right through his shield," he reported in a monotone, "He never had a chance."

"Kaidan," she said, using his first name, "We have to go."

"We can't just leave him Commander!" he protested.  
"He's dead Lieutenant," she said bluntly, "There is nothing we can do for him. When we're done, I'll see that he gets a proper service but right now I need you to remain focussed. Can you do that?"

"Yes ma'am," he answered automatically.

"Let's move out."

**~o~O~o~**

"_Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit_," muttered Williams as she slid behind cover, only narrowly, avoiding what would have been a head shot. Private Bhatia dove beside her and returned fire to the drones. Williams then called out, "_Grenade!_" The soldiers jumped away from the explosion. Bhatia was closer to the event and her leg disintegrated, leaving only a bloody stump. Now vulnerable, the machines wasted no time in aiming at the easier target. Her helmet visor shattered under the barrage of plasma and she fell back, now motionless.

_Shit!_

**~o~O~o~**

The sombre duo the marsh and carefully making use of the cover that the numerous rocks around them supplied. They were not going to be caught unawares again. Their vigilance eventually paid off in the form of seven, now smoking, drones. The drones were completely unaware that they were being targeted until they were fired upon. By then it was too late. Alenko let off an EMP disabling the drones and the two fired upon their hapless foes.

"_I've got more burned out buildings here, Shepard,_" said Nihlus, breaking the silence,_ "A lot of bodies. I'm going to check it out. I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site._"

Keeping radio silence, Shepard tapped the mike in acknowledgement.

Having reached the top of the hill, their path started to descend into a clearing. They saw a figure in white body armour running towards them. No. Not running towards them, running _away_ from someone else.

Shepard recognised her as the same soldier who had pushed the camera/soldier down in the video.

_She's still alive after all that?_

Three drones were in pursuit of her, firing wildly. One shot caught her in the shoulder but, unlike Jenkins, her shields held. She rolled forwards to escape the next barrage, spun around and fired her pistol, downing all of the pursuing drones with only three shots.

Further ahead, Shepard could see a squad more soldiers, these ones wearing non-Alliance armour. It was sterile white with some kind of flash light on the helmet. They were dragging a still living civilian towards some kind of platform. After laying their screaming captive across it, crucifixion style, a five metre tall spike burst forth from the platform, impaling the unfortunate. He hung from the vicious gibbet now, mercifully, silent and still.

The pair immediately charged into the fray, Shepard bearing her assault rifle and Alenko making use of his biotics. The female soldier rose to her feet, switched from her pistol to a shotgun and basted away at the nearest enemy.

Now that she was closer, Shepard could see that these soldiers were also robotic, several exploding when destroyed, just like the drones.

With the last machine down, the soldier limped towards the pair.

"Thanks for your help," she said, panting heavily, "I didn't think I was getting out of that one." Remembering herself, she stood at attention. "Gunnery Chief Williams of the 212," she said, raising an injured arm in what was clearly supposed to be a salute, "You the one in charge ma'am?"

"At ease Williams," Shepard said, "I'm Commander Shepard, SSV Normandy. This is Lieutenant Alenko," she motioned to her squad mate. "Are you wounded?"

"Just a few scrapes and burns ma'am, nothing serious," said Williams.

"Quit the brave face thing you have going," said Shepard, "Alenko," she ordered, "Medi-kit." Alenko helped Williams remove her left shoulder pad so Shepard could apply medi-gel to the wound. As the foamy anaesthetic/clotting agent did its work, Williams began to ramble.

"Oh, man...," she began, "We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where is the rest of your squad," Shepard asked, already having a suspicion.

"We tried to double back to the beacon. But we walked into an ambush," she replied, "I don't think any of the others... I think I'm the only one left."

"This isn't your fault, Williams," said Shepard immediately, "You couldn't have done anything to save them."

"Yes ma'am," she responded, "We held our position as long as we could but the geth just overwhelmed us."

**~o~O~o~**

_Alliance Codex – Geth:_

_The geth are a humanoid race of networked A.I.s. They were created by the quarians 300 years ago as tools of labour and war. When the geth showed signs of self-evolution, the quarians attempted to exterminate them. The geth won the resulting war. This example has led to legal, systematic repression of artificial intelligences in galactic society._

_The geth possess a unique distributed intelligence. An individual has rudimentary animal instincts, but as their numbers and proximity increase, the apparent intelligence of each individual improves. In groups, they can reason, analyse situations, and use tactics as well as any organic race._

_Geth space is located at the trailing end of the Perseus Arm, beyond the lawless Terminus Systems. The Perseus Veil, an obscuring "dark nebula" of opaque gas and dust, lies between their space and the Terminus Systems._

**~o~O~o~**

Alenko and Shepard exchanged a surprised glance.

"Geth?" Alenko asked, "The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years. Why are they here now?" Williams shrugged.

"My guess is that they came for the beacon," she said, "The dig site is close. Right around the corner. It might still be there."

Shepard made a decision.

"Alright," she said, "We head for the dig site." She turned to the Gunnery Chief. "Do you think you can manage with that Williams?" she said, nodding at her wounded shoulder. Williams laughed.

"If you think I'm going to a little scratch slow me down," she said with conviction, "Then you have another thing coming… ma'am," she finished somewhat lamely, remembering that she was, in fact, talking to a commanding officer.

Shepard laughed.

"I think you and I are going to get on just fine Chief."

_Please review._


	3. Under Control

_Sorry about the delay in the chapter. I had my final exams recently. Important note at the bottom._

**Chapter Three – Under Control**

Shepard turned to Williams. "Have you seen a turian Spectre around here?" she asked the newest squad mate.

"There aren't any turians on Eden Prime," she said, shaking her head, "None that I've ever met. Not sure I'd be able to tell if one was a Spectre, anyways."

"Believe me," said Alenko, "If you'd seen this guy, you'd definitely know."

"Sorry," she replied, "Haven't seen him." Shepard took a moment to process this.

"No matter," she said finally, "You probably wouldn't have seen him anyway. He is _very_ good at sneaking about. Anyway," she said," Can you lead us to the beacon?"

"Sure thing," Williams replied, nodding in the direction of a ravine, "It's just at the end of this trench."

Before they continued on, Shepard made sure to patch Williams into their comm frequency.

**~o~O~o~**

Walking through the ravine gave Shepard a feeling of claustrophobia. They were completely boxed in on both sides and the cliff tops looked like a perfect spot for snipers.

_There is nothing there,_ she thought. _If there was, our motion trackers would have caught them._

Not that rational thought would ever win against illogical paranoia.

There was also plenty of rocky terrain to navigate which would be the only defence if they were attacked.

Which they were.

As soon as the party made it to the dig site (a small clearing with stone columns forming a circle around a depression in the ground, a ramp led up the side of the cliff to presumably the research camp), four bipedal geth troopers and several drones emerged from their hiding places and fired at them.

The three jumped for cover, with Alenko managing to only crouch behind a small bolder while Shepard and Williams found refuge behind a digging machine.

The two women switched to their short ranged but deadly shot guns, making use of their close proximity to their foes. Alenko set off another EMP and took out the drones with a pistol.

With all hostiles eliminated, Shepard proceeded to the centre of the pillars. If not for the five corpse bearing spikes it would have been quite picturesque.

_Again with the spikes. What are they for?_

The depression in the centre had clearly been the former location of the now missing beacon.

"The beacon was here," protested Williams as soon as she saw it, or rather didn't see it.

"By who?" asked Alenko of no-one in particular, "Ours or the geth?"

Williams shrugged.

"Hard to say," she responded, "We'll know more after we check out the research camp."

"You think anyone made it out of here alive?" asked Shepard

"If they were lucky," responded Williams, "Maybe hiding in the camp." She shook her head in the direction of a spike, "It doesn't seem likely though."

Shepard was going to reply when Nihlus contacted them through the radio.

"_Change of plans, Shepard,_" said Nihlus, "_There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there._"

She was going to report that the beacon had been moved, radio silence notwithstanding, but he switched off before she had the chance speak.

_He probably knows that anyway,_ she thought.

As they climbed the hill towards the camp she noticed four more corpses hanging from spikes placed near the three demountables that made up the camp.

"Looks like they hit the camps hard," said Williams, noting the rubble and smoke.

"Keep your guard up everyone," ordered Shepard, "This is a perfect place for an ambush."

Again, her eyes were drawn to the corpses. These ones were… different. In fact, they barely resembled human remains at all. The skin looked like it had been bleached white and then had random lines of florescent blue painted over them. The eyes were permanently open and they shone with light of some form of technological augmentation.

"Impaling the victims instead of just shooting them," said Williams, voicing her thoughts, "Is there a reason or do the geth just want us to suffer?"

"Classic psychological warfare," responded Alenko, glancing up at the grisly display, "They're using terror as a weapon."

"Good thing it's not working, right L.T." she smirked. Alenko chuckled humourlessly.

Suddenly, the spikes retracted into the platforms, dragging the bodies down with them. They began to twitch and then, to the squad's horror, rose from the platforms and turned to face them.

"My God!" exclaimed Alenko, "They're still alive."

"What did the Geth do to them," Williams breathed.

For a lack of a better word, the husks charged the squad, crossing the distance with a frightening display of speed. As they drew closer, they began to emit some sort of electrical charge that completely drained Shepard's shields.

"Maintain your distance," she barked, "Switch to long range weapons."

Before she could follow her own order and switch to her pistol, the closest husk pounced onto her and pinned her to the ground and began to pummel her with blows that felt like mallets. Without missing a beat, she grabbed its head with both hands and wrenched it around one hundred and eighty degrees, breaking its neck. To her shock it continued to rain attacks down upon her, ignoring its limp hanging head. With a gesture a long, glowing omni-blade folded out from her right arm and she stabbed it repeatedly until lay still above her. Snarling, she rolled the carcass off her and rose to her knees, groaning in a mixture of pain and annoyance as she noticed a breach in her armour trickling with blood.

Her squad mate, being further back, had an easier time of things with Alenko downing one with a well place EMP and Williams taking out the other two with her pistol.

Noticing Shepard's state, Alenko rushed over to her.

"Commander!" he cried out, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, wincing slightly as the medi-gel she had just applied began to take effect.

"Bastard tore right through my shields," she said steadily, "It punched like a krogan."

"What the hell were those things?" asked Williams.

"Beats me," shrugged Shepard, "Literally, in this case. All that matters for now is that you keep your distance from them. _Believe me_," she said, stressing her words, "You do not want them getting close. It can quickly develop into an extremely boring situation."

"That's boring," replied Alenko with a raised eyebrow.

"Anyway," she continued, "if you see any bodies hanging from spikes, shoot them before they convert into whatever they are.

Satisfied that the medi-gel was working properly, she rose to her feet.

"The spaceport is north, right Williams?" she asked.

**~o~O~o~**

Nihlus heard the sound of incoming footsteps so he quickly dove behind some crates. He then saw that the source of the footsteps was another turian. A turian he recognised.

"Saren," he called out in recognition.

The turian deliberately turned around to face him.

"Nihlus," he said softly.

"This isn't your mission," Nihlus said, "What are you doing out here?"

Saren place a patronising hand on his shoulder.

"The council thought that you could use some help on this one," he said sarcastically.

Normally the action and tone would have prompted some sort of angry response but the Spectre had more important things to worry about.

"I wasn't expecting to find the geth here," said Nihlus, turning his back on his fellow turian to study one of the bodies, "The situation is bad. Much worse than I originally thought."

"Don't worry," said Saren, "Everything is under control."

**~o~O~o~**

_Author's Note: If you are wondering why Shepard had so much trouble with her husk, it is not due to any incompetence but rather my decision to make the husks more deadly, especially in close quarters. I didn't like how their first encounter all "These are scary… wait, no they're not. I took five seconds to kill them all."_

_I will also not be accepting any votes for Shepard's first name and the winning name is Alison._

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter and, as always, please review._


	4. Dead End

_Author's Note: Hi everyone. Sorry about the wait. I hope you enjoy this new chapter._

_I now have a new vote for you, the readers, to take part in regarding the rachni._

_Release or destroy._

_Please vote in your reviews._

**Chapter Four – Dead End**

A loud noise suddenly broke the silence.

"Gunshot," noted Williams.

"Ours' or theirs'?" wondered Alenko.

"It was probably one of ours," said Williams, "It didn't sound like anything we've seen the geth use."

"Heard," laughed Alenko.

The two women threw him enquiring looks.

"You know," he said awkwardly, "it's funny because we couldn't have _seen_ it because it's a noise and it just…" His sentence sort of trailed off nowhere.

"Tell me L.T." enquired Williams, "Are you a good soldier?"

"I can hold my own," he replied, confused as to where the conversation was going.

"That's a relief," she laughed, "I was worried that if you got drummed out of the Alliance you might try to make it as a comedian."

Alenko attempted, unsuccessfully, to adopt a hurt expression which was undermined his effort to not laugh.

"What's with all these personal attacks?" he asked, looking up at the sky, "I mean, you don't see me – What the _hell_ is that!" His voice took an urgent tone and he pointed. "There! Off in the distance!"

"I saw that thing before," gasped Williams, "I think it's a ship but look at the size of that thing!"

That massive gargantuan that Shepard had seen in the transmission before the start of the mission was only a few kilometres away.

Despite the distance, its bulk was easily able to darken the space port with its shadow.

Somehow, the impossibly large craft began to rise, defying all laws of gravity.

_Something that big should_ not_ be able break away from the planet's gravity._

It then started to pick up speed and, too quickly, it was soon obscured by the clouds.

The three soldiers might have continued to stare up where the ship vanished if not for a snarl that came from the right.

Two more husks attacked the group but where cut down with gunfire before they could close the gap between them.

Sprinting towards the space port, the group noticed several geth troopers crawling out of cover to take aim at them.

The three hid behind a produce crate and returned fire, their armour and shields easily allowing them to destroy them all.

They climbed a flight of stairs leading to the tramway.

"Perimeter clear," stated Williams.

Shepard looked around; noting that the haphazardly strewn crated lying around would make for good cover for any potential ambushers.

While she didn't find any enemy soldiers, she came across something worse.

Shepard and Alenko were silent for a moment, seeing but not believing. Williams noticed the looks of recognition on their faces.

"A turian," she said, "Do you know him."

Alenko finally broke the silence.

"It's Nihlus," he said, staring at the corpse. "He was with us on the Nor-."

_Clunk._

"Something's moving," said Williams, whipping out her pistol, "Over there behind the crates."

"Get out or we open fire," barked Shepard.

"Wait!" called out a male voice, "Don't shoot! I'm one of you, I'm human."

An overweight, middle aged man crawled out of cover with his hands up.

Clearly human.

"Sneaking around like that could have gotten you killed or worse," snapped Shepard nodding towards the spikes.

"I'm sorry," squeaked the terrified stranger, raising his hands even higher, "I was hiding from those _things_."

Shepard exhaled. The poor man didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of one her gun just because she was in a bad mood.

"Sorry," she said. She then sighed in exasperation. "Put your hands down. _Seriously_," she said when he did nothing, "Put your hands down. You just look silly like that."

When he finally did so, she asked him who he was.

"My name is Powell," he introduced himself, "I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him."

"What are talking about?" she asked, "Other what?"

"There were two turians here," he explained, "Your friend and the other one he called Saren. I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down... and Saren killed him. Shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

Shepard was sure that there was something that didn't make sense about his explanation but she shelved the thought for the time being.

"We were told a Prothean beacon was brought to the spaceport. What happened to it?" she asked.

"It's over on the other platform," Powell replied, pointing over his shoulder. "Probably wherever that guy Saren was headed. He hopped on the cargo train right after he killed your friend." He shook his head. "I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since it showed up. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates, I'd be dead too!"

_Hang on a minute…_

"How come you're the only one who survived?" she asked, "Why didn't anyone else try to hide behind the crates?"

He awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other.

"They never had a chance," he said with shame, "I... I was already behind the crates when the attack started."

Alenko raised a hand to stop Powell. "Wait a minute," he said incredulously, "You were hiding behind the crates before the attack?"

"I...," Powell started, and then paused. His shoulders dropped in resignation. "Sometimes I need a nap to get through my shift," he admitted, "I sneak off behind the crate to grab forty winks where the supervisor can't find me."

"You survived because you were _lazy?!_" Williams hissed with venom dripping with every syllable.

Shepard chuckled darkly.

"If you hadn't snuck off for that nap, you'd probably be dead with the others," she said.

Powell didn't seem comforted by her words. "Yeah," he said, "Yeah, I guess. I don't really want to think about it."

He bent over and placed his hands on his knees.

"Take the cargo train," he said, "Over to the right, down the ramp, then over to the end of the loading platform. That's where the other turian went. I… I can't stay here. I need to get away from all this."

Without another word, he ambled away, weaving a path through the crates.

"How come _he_ was the one to survive," Williams asked of no one in particular, "You get honest people who actually do their jobs and _he_ gets to live. What's the point?"

"Is this going to be a problem Williams?" Shepard asked.

"Sorry mam," she said, "It's out of my system. Won't happen again."

"Good," Shepard said, "Let's head over to the cargo train and find this "Saren" person, whoever he is."

Suddenly, Alenko charged at her and shoved her to the ground, several metres away from him. Before she could get up and bark a reprimand, she saw him forced to his knees by a direct shot from a rocket.

She and Williams swiftly spun around and were confronted by four geth drones. However, unlike the previous ones they had encountered which bore energy based weapons, these ones were carrying rocket launchers. Williams was able to pick one off with a well-aimed pistol shot but she had to dive for cover behind the crates immediately after. However, she was not fast enough to avoid a rocket that just _scraped_ the side of her shoulder pad. Luckily, her shields protected her from the brunt of the explosion.

_No harm,_ she thought. _See? The shields are already regenerating._

From her point she could see Shepard was too far from cover and the three drones were aiming directly at her. There was no way either Williams could take out all three in the time it would take for the drones to fire. There was nothing she could do. She could not save Shepard.

Luckily she didn't have to.

At a speed that could only be considered unnaturally fast, Shepard rose to her feet, sprinted towards the drones, rolled under the first rocket fired, letting it harmlessly explode ten metres behind, where she had previously been lying. Her burning omni-blade folded out from her arm and she buried it into the first drone. She then leapt towards the other two and took them both out with a single impossible swing.

The drones exploded into a shower of sparks.

Shepard landed.

The entire action had only taken just over four seconds.

Williams just stared at her Commanding Officer with a look of dumbstruck awe.

"H-how?" she stammered, "W-what you… How?"

"N7 operatives get synthetic adrenal glands implants," Shepard answered casually before leaning on her knees, "Good for when you're in a tight spot. Takes a bit out of you though," she admitted, grinning sheepishly. She then noticed Alenko's motionless form behind them and her smile vanished.

The two women rushed over to him. The rocket had hit him directly in the front of the helmet. Shepard tried to remove his helmet but the seals had been jammed by the impact. She then used her omni-blade to cut through them.

She let out a sigh of relief.

He was breathing.

Aside from a large bruise over the left side of his face, he was relatively unhurt.

"Looks like the helmet took most of it Commander," noted Williams.

Shepard applied a small amount of medi-gel to the bruise and lightly patted him on the right side of his face.

His eyes opened.

"Good," he said, "You're okay."

"I think we're supposed to say that to you L.T." said Williams laughing.

"Can you walk?" asked Shepard.

"I can fight," he said firmly before rising to his feet.

"Good to hear," she said, "Let's get to the cargo train. Williams, you take point."

Alenko tossed his now useless helmet to the ground.

"Don't think this is going to do me much good now," he said to Shepard.

"Oh, one more thing," she said to him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Thanks Kaidan."

"Anytime Commander."

**~o~O~o~**

Powell's directions were, for the most part, correct. The one thing he failed to mention, however, was how long the loading platform was. It went on for almost half a kilometre and every ten metres or so there crates piled haphazardly which geth troopers would use for cover. Every metre had to be bought with destroyed enemies and it was slow going. To make matters worse, these troopers were able to deploy large hexagon shaped shields which they used to make chokepoints on the narrow platform. However, a few well-placed grenades and EMPs made short work of the defenders.

The squad boarded the tram and Alenko hot-wired since they did not have the ignition key. Before too long the tram started to move forward, quickly picking up speed.

**~o~O~o~**

Saren turned to a geth trooper standing at attention. "Set the charges," he ordered, "Leave no trace that we were here."

As the geth scurried off to follow his orders he strode towards the now pulsating, glowing beacon. As he felt the power of the artefact lift him from the ground, he could only think:

_Soon…_

_Soon…_

_Soon…_

**I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Please remember to leave a review and a vote. The rachni will not appear for quite a while so there will be plenty of time for everyone to vote.**


	5. Oblivion

_Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Remember you can still vote on the fate of the rachni._

**Chapter Five: Oblivion**

The tram finally pulled into the end of the loading platform, taking long enough for the evening sun to become nothing more than an orange line on the horizon.

"Alright people," said Shepard as they stepped onto the platform, "This "Saren" person already has a massive head start on us so we need to move quickly."

She made a quick scan of her surroundings and noted that they would have to climb a flight of stairs and then cross a bridge to get to the other side of the tracks. Apparently, this side of the loading platform was a veritable labyrinth of bridges, ramps, alcoves and crates.

_Nothing's ever simple,_ she mused.

"What's that?" said Williams, pointing to something hidden under the stair way.

Alenko knelt down to have a closer look before urgently telling them to stay back. He then spent about ten seconds tinkering with whatever it was before finally pulling it out into the light.

Upon seeing what it was, both Shepard and Williams took several additional steps back until they were touching the safety rail.

"It's okay," said Alenko reassuringly, prodding the now useless explosive charge with his toe, "It's disarmed. The geth must have planted them."

"_Them?_" asked Shepard sharply. He nodded.

"There are three others linked to same frequency," he explained.

"If these go off, how much are we going to die?" asked Williams.

"There are enough explosives in this one alone to punch a hole in the world," he said. His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh _shit!_" he exclaimed (Shepard had never heard him curse before), "Someone just activated the detonation protocols for _all_ of them!"

"How much time do we have?" demanded Shepard.

"Exactly four minutes," said Alenko, checking the (thankfully disarmed) bomb's chrono. "This one is dead but there are still three others. We can track them through my omni-tool. _RUN!_"

_**Four minutes remaining.**_

With Alenko at the lead, the squad sprinted up the stairs and across the bridge. The criss-cross of bridges and platforms would have confused normally confused him, but the signals from the bombs helped guide him in the right direction. They made a sharp turn left and found the second explosive charge. Before Alenko could take another step towards it, the squad was fired upon from a higher level. A squad of geth troopers fired down on them, making ample use of the high ground. The two women returned fire while Alenko ducked behind a crate and started the disarming process, ignoring the nearby gunfire.

"There we are," he said triumphantly as the lights second charge dimmed.

_**Three minutes, four seconds remaining.**_

Due to the angle and the cover providing safety barrier, not a single geth trooper had been hit.

"We haven't got time for this," said Alenko, "Run!"

The squad ran up a ramp that, again, bridged over to the other side of the platform, dodging the enemy gunfire.

_**Two minutes, fifty-three seconds.**_

Now that they were all on the same level, the protection that the safety barrier had provided was now virtually non-existent. Williams took one out with a head shot. She was going to fire at the others but Alenko shoved passed her and barrelled into them, a blue biotic glow outlining his features. The two ones closest to him were torn apart and he sprinted past the rest.

"Take care of these guys," he called back to them, "I'll get to the next charge."

_**Two minutes, forty-one seconds remaining.**_

He avoided a shot to the head by diving to the ground and skidding across to the penultimate charge.

_Of course _I'm_ the one who loses a helmet,_ he thought sardonically before working to disarm the device.

Williams tossed a grenade and five troopers went down.

"I didn't see him as the "take charge" kind of guy," she said to the Commander, "He's _way_ too meek and polite."

"He's in the Alliance for a reason," Shepard called back before downing to drones with her sniper rifle.

_**Two minutes, twenty-eight seconds remaining.**_

"That was a tricky one," Alenko muttered surlily. He then called back to the others, "Come on! There's one left."

Shepard turned to Williams. "How are your shields holding up?"

"Almost full. Yours?"

"Same. So what we're going to do is just run across the bridge to Alenko," said Shepard, "Only shoot if something is directly in your way and get into cover immediately."

She then spoke into the comm. "Alenko," she said, "We're going to make a break for it so lay down some cover fire if you can."

"_Yes ma'am_," came the reply.

"On my command," she said before yelling, "_NOW!_"

Shepard and Williams broke cover and sprinted towards Alenko's position ignoring the enemy gunfire which, incidentally, was easier than it sounds due to the lieutenant disabling several troopers with an EMP. He then rose from the cover, holding his pistol in his right hand and his left hand raised yet curiously empty. He scored a shot in the chest of one of the troopers before jerking his now glowing left hand towards himself. Three troopers suddenly found themselves floating away from the platform before dropping dozens of metres to the ground before harmlessly exploding in three separate fireballs.

Both Shepard and Williams reached Alenko before turning around and firing upon the last of the troopers.

_**Two minutes, nineteen seconds remaining.**_

"Come on," said the lieutenant, "There's one more charge left. It's just up ahead."

True to his word, the final charge was hidden behind a support column. He immediately knelt beside it and set to work, disabling the explosive charge in just less than twenty seconds.

"Different detonation protocol," he explained in between breaths. He looked up at his companions, smiling ruefully, "Can we please not do that again anytime soon?" he asked.

**~o~O~o~**

They came to a wide loading platform absolutely littered with crates. However, in a clearing formed in the dead centre, was what everyone was so interested in; the Prothean beacon. It was essentially a large metallic pillar that looked like someone had nailed it into a large black cube. It was also approximately three metres tall but that description fails to properly do it justice. It was wreathed in pulsating green lights, constantly dancing across the surface. More than that, there was this… _feeling _that accompanied it; the marines could feel some kind of breeze wafting in their direction as well a weird, alien sensation gently brushing against their minds'.

"Normandy, the package is secure," Shepard reported, tearing her eyes away from the beacon, "Requesting immediate evac. Lock in on my coordinates."

"Understood," Joker replied, "Normandy is inbound. ETA: nine minutes, twenty seconds."

"Roger, Normandy," she said, "Standing by."

"This is amazing," exclaimed Alenko, "Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!"

Williams frowned slightly. "It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up."

"Something must have activated it," mused Alenko, taking a hesitant yet curious step forward.

With the benefit of hindsight it is clear to all that that may not have been the wisest course of action.

He was suddenly dragged by unseen hands towards it before being yanked off his feet.

Wasting no time, Shepard leapt towards him, forcing more synthetic adrenaline into her veins. She roughly pulled him into a bear hug before pivoting around and hurling him away. Unfortunately for her, she was now caught in the beacon inexorable hold. She ascended half a metre above the ground and her eyes went blank, rolling in their sockets. The green light now washed over her, drenching her with the glow.

"Shepard!" Alenko called out in horror before attempting to grab her. Before he could do so, however, Williams pinned him to the ground.

"It's too dangerous," she said.

Shepard could kaleidoscope of ever-changing images:

… machines

… people screaming in terror

… machinery imbedded in living tissue

… a gaping maw

… a figure kneeling over a corpse in the mud

… darkness

The beacon then detonated, hurling Shepard to the ground with a resounding crash. The last thing she could remember was Alenko's worried face, a binding pain in her head before she, mercifully, slipped into unconsciousness.

**~o~O~o~**

Saren contemplated what he had learned from the excursion to Eden Prime. As he had expected, it was a complete and utter waste of time, teaching him nothing he had not already learned. He gazed out into the inky blackness of space, noting the stars shining out against the dark. Each star could host many worlds and each world could host a different form of life.

_They will all soon be ours._

He could sense the Matriarch's presence but he chose not to acknowledge her, after all, _he_ was in charge.

"We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime," she said, "The Normandy. A human Alliance vessel."

_Does everything she says have to have the melodramatic voice?_ He thought idly, barely listening to her.

She continued to drone on, "It was under the command of Captain Anderson."

His mandibles twitched ever so slightly.

"They managed to save the colony."

"And the beacon?" he asked, finally gracing her with his words.

"One of the humans may have used it," she replied.

Eight words was all it took to push the formerly calm Spectre into a towering rage. He picked up the chair he had been sitting on before shattering it against the floor. He looked around, needing to destroy something else. However, that was the only piece of furniture in the room. He spun and roughly grabbed the Matriarchs face, tearing into the flesh.

"The human must be eliminated," he snarled.

**~o~O~o~**

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter._

_Please tell me how you feel by reviewing._


	6. Headache

**Chapter 6: The Citadel**

Shepard floated.

All she could see was blinding white light.

All she could feel was the throbbing in her head.

She tried to think back, to remember why she was here. She could remember the Spectre Nihlus who was now dead. She could remember losing Jenkins but picking up Williams in some sort of sick trade. She could remember the mindless husks that had once been human beings. She could also remember the beacon but then the pain came back with a vengeance.

She groaned.

"Doctor Chakwas," said a voice, "I think she's waking up."

Shepard groggily tried to get up before a sharp spike of pain stabbed through her head.

_Okay,_ she thought, _bad idea. Stay still for a bit. That sounds nice… _Hang on_! Am I in the Girl Scouts or N7?_

Ignoring what felt like a nail-gun to the head, she rose herself to a sitting position and gazed at her surroundings. As her vision began to clear she was able to make out the face of one Doctor Chakwas.

"You had us worried there Commander," she said pleasantly, as though they had just happened upon each other at the park, "How are you feeling?"

Shepard groaned again. "Like the morning after shore leave," she said painfully. It was difficult to form a coherent sentence. "How long was I out?"

"About fifteen hours," answered Chakwas, "Something happened down there with the beacon, I think."

"It was my fault," said the first voice. Shepard turned around to see Kaidan standing near entrance of the med-bay.

_I only just realised I'm in the med-bay?_

"I must have triggered some kind of security protocol when I approached it," he continued, "You had to push me out of the way." He hung his head like a schoolboy waiting for a scolding.

"Makes us even by my reckoning," said Shepard.

"What do you – oh, um, okay, sure," he mumbled, clearly having forgotten the whole "taking a direct shot from a rocket launcher for her" thing.

"You had no way to know what would happen," she continued.

"Actually, we don't even know if that's what set it off," Chakwas interjected, "Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out."

_What?_

"Sorry, not following," said Shepard, "What happened?"

"The beacon exploded," explained Kaidan, "A system overload maybe. The blast knocked you out and Williams and I carried you back to the ship."

_Explains why I'm here I guess._

"Thanks," she said before turning back to Chakwas, "What's the damage Doc?"

"Physically, you're fine," Chakwas explained, "But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

Shepard rubbed her temple; the pain had now been reduced to a dull throbbing. She thought back to the final moments before she blacked out. "I saw…" she began, "I dunno what I saw. Death. Destruction. Nothings clear, it was all hazy, like watching a dodgy vid."

She didn't think they needed to know about the screams. She sure as hell knew that _she_ didn't want to.

Chakwas crossed her arms thoughtfully as she assimilated the information. "I should probably add that to my report."

The door hissed as it opened.

"Captain Anderson," Chakwas said respectfully, greeting the Commanding Officer of the Normandy.

"How's our XO holding up, Doctor?" asked Anderson.

"She is just _fine_," answered Shepard, "Okay, maybe not fine but I'm sure I could take on a toddler or a particularly _vicious_ baby. I'll stop talking now," she said after receiving a glare from the good doctor.

"All her vitals look normal so, inappropriate, unfunny jokes aside, I'd she is going to be just fine," Chakwas stated. Anderson gave an _extremely_ unprofessional grin at the doctor's assessment.

"Good to hear," he said before turning to back to Shepard, "Shepard, I need to speak to you – in private."

Kaidan saluted, "Aye, aye Captain," he turned to Shepard, "Williams and I will be in the mess if you need us." He walked to the door.

"Just a minute," she replied. He turned back to her. "Were you able to recover Corporal Jenkins' body?" she asked. Kaidan hesitated before looking down at his feet. "What happened?" she asked.

"After taking you back," he said, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else, "Williams and I set out to retrieve his body…" He exhaled slowly. "When we got there we… we found his body impaled on a spike."

"Shit," she said softly. What else could she say?

"We had to kill – there was nothing left," he said very stiffly, "It was completely destroyed."

There was nothing left to say. He turned and left room. Chakwas also excused herself, "If you need me, I'll be in the CIC. Joker needs a… well, that's where I'll be anyway," she said cryptically.

It was just Shepard and Anderson now.

"Sounds like it was pretty rough down there," he said finally.

"I don't like soldiers dying under my command," she said lamely.

"It wasn't your fault," he said immediately, "We haven't had an encounter with the geth in three centuries. Hell, you're one of the only humans to ever actually _see_ one. They were a complete unknown. All things considered, I think you did the best with what you had, and that'll be the end of it."

"Yes sir," she responded quietly. A sudden thought struck her. "Chief Williams isn't part of the Normandy crew," she said. _Way to state the obvious._

"I figured we could use a soldier like her," he explained, "We're down a man so I had her reassigned to the Normandy."

"She's a good soldier," she affirmed, "Definitely more deserving more than a place in a backwater like Eden Prime."

"Alenko said the same," Anderson stated, "That's why I added her to the crew."

_Okay, enough casual chit-chat,_ she thought.

"You said you needed to speak in private," she said, getting to the point.

He sighed. "I won't lie to you, Shepard," he said quietly, "Things look bad. Nihlus is dead. The beacon was destroyed and geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers."

"We didn't do anything wrong," she stated, "Surely the Council will see that."

_And maybe Santa and the Easter Bunny are real and they've just been on a _really_ long vacation._

"I'll stand behind you and your report, Shepard," he said immediately, "You're a damn hero in my books. That's not why I'm here. It's Saren. That other turian. Saren's a Spectre."

"Wonderful," she said sarcastically.

"One of the best. A living legend," he continued. "But if he's working with the geth, it means he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous. And he hates humans."

"Of course he does," she said. _A turian hating humans, what else is new?_ "What's his reason?" she asked, "Knew someone in the Contact war or just jumping on the bandwagon?"

"He thinks we're growing too fast, taking over the galaxy," he explained, "A lot of aliens think that way. Most of them don't do anything about it. But Saren has allied himself with the geth. I don't know how. I don't know why. I only know it had something to do with that beacon." He paused before continuing, "You were there just before the beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

"To be perfectly honest I'm not entirely sure on what I saw," she said, "Synthetics, maybe geth butchering organics."

"We need to report this to the Council," he said.

"And tell them what?" she replied, "'I had a bad dream?'"

"We don't know what information was stored in that beacon," Anderson said, "Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it."

He began to pace backwards and forward. "But I know Saren," he continued, "I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war. He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of geth at his command. And he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy."

Shepard got the impression that this was based on more than just hearsay. She was sure that Anderson actually _knew_ this Saren person.

"I'll find some way to take him down," she said, hoping to reassure him.

"It's not that easy," he said, "He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on _our _side."

"We prove Saren's gone rogue and the Council will revoke his Spectre status," she said, "Then he's nothing more than a memory."

"I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience with the Council," Anderson continued, "He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel." He turned to leave and then paused. "We should be getting close. Head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring us into dock."


End file.
